Author
Topic: Larimar Chalice (WIP) (Read 304 times)

Symbol: A crumbling gem of ambiguous design with a hand outstretched above it. The symbol is a silky turquoise color.

Occupation: Combat Student at Beacon Academy - First Year

Appearance: The most striking feature that Larimar Chalice boasts is her turquoise hair bound in two twin tails, easily reaching several inches past her lower-back. With the rest of her hair being slicked back, the top seems only slightly unkempt as if to add to her overall charm. Her ovoid face reveals a warm complexion, and boring hues of brown complemented by dark-framed glasses. Somewhat full lips rest beneath her thin nose, completing the first impressions most would have when setting their attention on her.

Larimar’s body can be defined as typical for a girl her age – apple shaped, athletically toned as all hunstmen and huntresses typically are, and strongly framed. Her height is a respectable five foot and six inches, and she seems to carry herself with a disposition that says “I’m trying my best to seem like I know what I’m doing, but I’m probably going to end up not doing it properly in the end.” Her gait and stature don’t necessarily lack confidence, but she is without a doubt as insecure someone her age would be if they were to risk their lives day-to-day.

In contrast to her bright locks, her clothes are incredibly studious and practical in nature. A long-sleeved dress shirt, white in color, with her sleeves rolled up so that the cuffs are turned covers her torso. Along with this, a dark blue vest jacket with her symbol vaguely embossed on the back. Various pockets – three on each side -- are somewhat imperceptibly lining near the edge of the jacket, perhaps for storage of some kind.

The dress shirt is tucked into tight, likely flexible brown pants of what seems to be a leather-denim quality. A holster concealing a weapon of some sort rests on her hip, shut for discreteness. Laced boots of a honey mustard color with a two-inch heel finish off the look. The best way to describe her style, aside from studious, is easily “wild-west.”

History:Larimar Chalice was born in the month of Frost, year 63 AC to two Grimm hunters of typical renown. Although her parents weren't known far and wide or enough to warrant their names, they naturally abetted the ongoing efforts to keep the creatures of Grimm at bay. Like all hunters of Grimm before them, her parents had their combat and weaponry education at Signal Academy and then migrated to Beacon Academy eventually after. Over time, they met and fell in love; thus, Larimar was born as their first and only offspring, and she eventually would grow up to follow their same profession.

As a child, Larimar was usually kept safe within Vale and sequestered from any dangers. This didn't stop her from pursuing curiosities here and there. At times, she would escape from home and steal bread from neighbors, converse with the local fauna, explore the nadirs of Vale, and mindlessly travel into treacherous situations and only escaping entirely unawares of the danger she was in -- or at least the potential danger she could face. Many times did her parents, or rather one or the other, would find her outside of their home whenever she escaped -- this only warranted a strict lecture at a young age she seldom understood, so she continued to pursue her maddening adventures anyway. A bubbly young girl who didn't really listen to authority -- everything to Larimar in her sophomoric youth was incredibly hilarious.

It's important to mention that Larimar didn't always have the guidance of both her parents while growing up. At times it would be just her mother, and months later, it would be just her father. Sometimes, she would go a few weeks without either parent being there to supervise; in this case, Larimar would find great joy in pursuing more adventures despite the drones and disdain that the guardians her parents hired bellowed. Larimar was decidedly lonely, and she pursued fun to distract herself from the fact that her parents weren't always around to tell her stories of their own crusades and the victories that they were lauded for -- even if only by a few. They weren't famous hunters, so nothing was ever too extravagant and they never brought back information of truly perilous missions.

As she grew, she made a friend that once led her astray just outside of the Vale city limits into a forest presumably infested mildly with Grimm. This led Larimar and her unnamed, unidentified friend to be chased by a Grimm only to be saved by her parents slaying the Grimm in tandem. It should be noted that this friend was entirely unidentified because they were soon sent away to live elsewhere due to the potential dangers. Larimar was naturally punished, and she was disallowed to making any more friends until she grew older. It was an overprotective practice for her parents to compensate for never truly being there -- after all, her life being saved was entirely up to chance.

As the years passed, Larimar began attending Signal Academy and had her Aura unlocked by both of her parents. Over time and in her lessons there, she built her first weapon -- Erupter -- and was given lessons on combat strategies and how to handle those situations. Through these practices, Larimar soon discovered her Semblance in her third year of Signal Academy, and she began to understand how she could use it to her advantage. However, she also noticed that many of her Signal Academy classmates were dropping out. Many left due to fear for their lives -- after all, pursuing the life of a Grimm hunter wasn't for the faint of heart. Others left in grief due to their parents, close relatives, and even older friends attending Beacon Academy meeting their untimely deaths at the wretched claws of Grimm. Larimar noted this and soon became withdrawn herself. Over time, that fear began to creep up on her -- more so concern for the pain she would feel if she lost her parents or a close friend, so she never truly made any genuine friends even through her graduation from Signal.

During her time at Signal, Larimar excelled at maintaining her weapon and practicing her Semblance to serve her best in combat. Her long range prowess was also something she excelled at, likely in part of her mother using a long-ranged weapon as well. Many strategies relied on her Semblance to disorient her enemies, and so she was often found reading up on Aura, how it could manifest, and practicing it as a means to improve upon her Semblance. Like many combat students her age, she was still fundamentally a beginner at it. At best, she was an intermediate master of her Semblance and how Aura functioned, and some machinations were still left to be discovered on experience alone.

She continues to practice her Semblance application in battle to this day, and is only further discovering its maximum potential. No doubt that she is no where near achieving the true strength of her Semblance yet, but every day, she discovers just an inch more of crushing force-strength than before.

Now she joins Beacon Academy as one of the first years, knowing full well that she was in for a ride that would shatter the preventive measures she has in place.

Personality:Larimar Chalice is easily side-lined by her own personality since she doesn’t consistently seek out social interaction. In no way or form does she suffer from any kind of anxiety to support this, but she is an introvert who can only sometimes bare to be anywhere in-between both social behaviors. As a person who is, no doubt, multifaceted like the rest of human-kind, she experiences a wide-range of emotions that are only expected. But she keeps herself tightly shut and has never been the kind to open up about these emotions, not wishing to disturb anyone with her paltry problems. Instead, she is observant and always calculating, easily fitting the trope that the “shy ones are always the most dangerous.”

No doubt that like many people her age, and many who pursue the profession that she does, she is terrified of growing attached to others. Grimm vastly outlasting and outnumbering humans only burgeons this worry, so this is likely another reason why she doesn’t “seize” the day or easily makes friends and cohorts. This is somewhat on a deeper level, but most tend to assume that she is coldly haughty and holier-than-thou on the surface due to her aversion of those her age. This fragility no doubt can easily be exploited by others if she were ever to gain someone she truly cared for, and thus have them taken away or placed in danger just to get to her. This is something she works on every day, but it’s an onerous task to take on.

Despite her closed personality, Larimar is easily an erudite – she has no issue showing this either. Coolly correcting others when confident on her answer and the research backed behind it, she sometimes comes off on the wrong foot with those who don’t take critique easily. Perhaps this is in part to her wishing no one to make a foolish mistake that could domino out of control, or she truly finds some satisfaction in knowing more than those her age. Part of her does indeed find this kind of satisfaction; feeling more prepared than others has always been an edge she wishes to continue pursuing and maintaining.

Her meager presence as a whole also adds on benefits that many can’t boast. Anger doesn’t come easily to her, and typically it takes plenty of obstacles to truly spark her ire. Piquant situations are met with a “cool-under-fire” attitude that easily helps her in many situations. She understands the virtue of “if you can’t control it, don’t try to change it”, and thus doesn’t typically grow frantic in situations that most would typically become depressed with. In battle, this truly shows when her veneer is utterly poker-faced and she shows very little reaction, if any at all – unless a certain tactic, Semblance, or action surprises her. Needless to say, she is not the kind of person that allows her emotions to shine through on her face.

Beneath it all is no doubt a fear of being abused in many way, not excluding the guilt and disconcerting images and thoughts that could pervade her mind. She fears abusing herself most of all, doubt creeping up on her and self-blame that could rapture her self-worth eternally. But this seldom happens, and she rarely thinks thoughts of this caliber. No doubt that her persona acts as a defense mechanism so that she doesn’t wind into a depression of this severity, but she also understands that part of her life is to bond with others and to unite with others against the Grimm.

She just wished it wasn’t such a risky procedure.

Aura and Semblance:Larimar Chalice’s Aura is a moonstone hue.Her Semblance’s name is aptly called Crush. She is able to employ her Aura to target something – or in some very rare, and specific cases, someone – and crush it.

The machinations of her Semblance dictates that it is pressure-based, using the condensed air molecules around the target to crush it. The maximum amount of force that she can employ is enough to crush a vehicle of typical size -- such as a car. The larger the object, however, the longer it takes to dent it, damage it, and then ultimately crush it into a crude shadow of its former self.

She can’t instantly jut her arm forward and will a vehicle into mulch – she must maintain genuine focus on the target for her Semblance to take true hold. Crushing a car would no doubt take several minutes if her focus is not deterred. However, using this much force and pushing her Semblance will only reduce her physical stamina and her Aura. Once her Aura begins to flicker, she can no longer muster up the power to crush a car. Her Semblance’s power would sharply decrease so that it's enough to disorient a person as if they were deep underwater.

Furthermore, her Semblance also can’t instantly crush an Aura-protected human or thing just because she is able to reach enough force to crush a car. Aside from the moral standpoint of actually crushing someone and definitely killing them, she is not just fighting this but also the incredible defenses that Aura gives a person. As such, she can only employ enough minimal force to disorient a person as if they were deep underwater. This allows her to control the flow of battle in her favor, and certainly gives her an edge in the maneuvering department. However, she must maintain focus on her target for the full effects of her Semblance to take hold. The less focus, the less force she can apply at a consistent rate.

This doesn’t mean her Semblance is utterly dependent on keeping consistent force on one person alone. If faced with multiple enemies, focusing long enough to disorient them and then jumping to the next target is also a tactic that she has employed in the past. Naturally, this puts her at a disadvantage if she is too close to her enemy or if multiple opponents have reached her bubble. Her Semblance would become one-person dependent, and she wouldn’t be able to tactfully apply full force to two people alone – at least not with her training, knowledge of how Aura works, and age/experience.

The amount of times she can use this Semblance is utterly dependent on the amount of force output she foists onto an object. If she is using it in combat to disorient enemies then she is able to withstand using it without reaching critical exhaustion. As explained previously, using her Semblance to crush a vehicle the size of a car at full force would almost instantly exhaust her Aura reserves and cause it to flicker, putting her in a dangerous position. Naturally, just because she is able to use her Semblance in succession at low force levels doesn’t mean that her Aura won’t deplete over time. If in combat with multiple opponents and employing her Semblance to disorient them in successions, her Aura will deplete quicker than it can regenerate.

The maximum range at her current experience level is fifty feet.

Combat Behavior:Larimar Chalice is first and foremost an evasive, long-range fighter. With lambent movements, a keen-eye for long range shooting, and a cool demeanor, there is no doubt she puts her mind to work. Naturally, her combat skills are on par with a first year Beacon Student, but she has received combat training virtually her entire life due to her parents being hunters of Grimm.

Larimar relies on her Semblance to disorient her opponents and put them at a disadvantage to further improve her aim and potentially dispatch them. As such, her Aura remaining intact and employing a careful diagnostics of the situation is imperative for any of her combat plans to be a successive. She is strategic and cunning, always using her environment for cover as any good long range combatant would. Her accuracy is her primary strength, aside from her Semblance, when hoping to dispatch her opponents -- whom are primarily Grimm. She is alert and quick on her feet, coming up with battle strategies where she can help it.

However, Larimar doesn't fare well in melee combat. Her weapon is virtually useless in a fist fight, or a sword fight, or any other kind of fight involving a melee weapon. If backed into a corner, she is virtually as good as done if she isn't saved as soon as possible. She also can't immediately use her Semblance on multiple people at once, and if she has little room to maneuver when facing various opponents, she can't allow her Semblance to truly shine. Her melee skills are basic at best, so keeping a distance is always the best deal for her to take. Sometimes her planning underestimates the situation as well, causing flubs that can't be helped. As a first year Beacon Combat Student, this is expected, and she actively works on these weaknesses, but she knows full well that improving on her strengths is her primary priority.

WEAPON

Name: Erupter

Primary Form:Erupter is aptly named due to its physical nature of being a basic flechette gun entirely painted turquoise in color. It is no larger than half the size of a forearm, and it can be easily placed inside of the holster Larimar holds around her hip. Erupter is a long-ranged weapon that harbors a cluster barrel which contains the small flechettes. The flechettes have a mix of fire dust, ice dust, and lightning dust. Upon impact, the flechettes would explode on their target, likely disorienting them and causing some damage in the process. Erupter is semi-automatic with a quick reload time, and isn't particularly useful in melee combat. Erupter also doesn't have any other forms.

Dust Functions:Erupter is a flechette gun and therefore the ammo it uses can be infused with Dust. Naturally, this "infusion" is actually just a small Dust core with a pretty hefty impact on the target.Fire Dust explodes on contact and may cause a slight singe and discomfort to the target if the hit is made to a non-Aura protected, bare-skinned individual.Ice Dust is typically used to slow targets down, primarily shot at their limbs or feet to prevent movement. Like Fire Dust, it also explodes upon contact and may cause some freezer burn on the skin on a non-Aura protected individual.Lightning Dust explodes on contact, shocking the target. If enough of these flechettes hit a target, it could potentially cause slight paralysis to disorient and further slow down a target.

History: Erupter was crafted by Larimar with inspiration from her mother's own long-ranged weapon -- except it was fundamentally different due to being closer to a traditional gun and not a rifle. After coming to the conclusion that melee certainly wasn't her cup of tea, she took advantage of her weaponry classes at Signal and studied diligently to craft her own weapon, and learned to maintain it. At first, she was using regular bullet ammo for it, but her mother guided her to a more useful method of ammunition -- Dust. Through tutelage from her mother and Signal, Erupter came to be in its final iteration -- a flechette launcher gun that worked well with her Semblance's assistance to dispatch her targets as quickly as possible.